1801–1859
Philipp Spitta

Introduction

Born: Au­gust 1, 1801, Ha­no­ver, Ger­ma­ny.

Died: Sep­tem­ber 28, 1859, Burg­dorf, Ger­ma­ny.

portrait

Biography

Karl of the son of Le­brecht Wil­helm Gott­fried Spit­ta, a book­keep­er and French teach­er.

He was orig­in­al­ly ap­pren­ticed to a watch mak­er. He dis­liked the oc­cu­pa­tion, though, and went to the Uni­ver­si­ty of Göt­ting­en to stu­dy theo­lo­gy.

He was or­dained in 1828, and be­came an as­sist­ant pas­tor near Ho­ya, Nie­der­sach­sen.

In 1830, he be­came as­sist­ant chap­lain to the gar­ri­son and the pris­on at Ham­meln on the Wes­er River. He would have be­come per­ma­nent chap­lain, ex­cept for re­ports the mi­li­ta­ry au­thor­i­ties re­ceived des­crib­ing him as a Pie­tist and a Mys­tic.

As com­pen­sa­tion, he was made pas­tor at Wech­old, near Ho­ya, in 1837. He lat­er became Lu­ther­an su­per­in­tend­ent at Wit­ting­en (1847), Peine (1853), and Burg­dorf (1859).

Works

Sources

Lyrics

  1. Ach, welche Mar­ter, welche Pla­ten
    • O Lord, What Sor­rows Past Ex­press­ion
  2. Allen ist ein Heil be­schie­den
    • Brethren, Called by One Vo­ca­tion
    • Salvation Is a Boon
  3. Das Le­ben wird oft trübe
    • How Wea­ry and How Worth­less This Life at Times Ap­pears
    • Our Life Is Oft­en Dark
    • This Life Is Oft­times Gloomy
  4. Der du in der Nacht des Tod­es
    • Christ Whose First Ap­pear­ance Light­ed
    • Thou Who in Death’s Night of Dark­ness
    • Thou Who in Death’s Night of Ter­ror
    • Thou Who in the Night of Death
  5. Des Chris­ten Schmuck und Or­dens­band
    • Badge the Chris­tian Wears on Earth, The
    • Christian’s Badge of Hon­or Here, The
    • Christian’s Star of Hon­or Here, The
    • Sign of Faith, and Love’s True To­ken, The
  6. Die erste Ru­he­stät­te die Welt
    • Cradle Which the World Has Dressed, The
  7. Du, des Zu­kunft einst Er­fleh­ten
  8. Du schöne Lil­ie auf dem Feld
    • Sweet Li­ly of the Field, De­clare
    • Thou Beau­teo­us Li­ly of the Field! Who Hath
    • Thou Beau­te­ous Li­ly of the Field, Who Robed
    • Thou Beau­te­ous Li­ly of the Field, Thou Child to Na­ture Dear
    • Thou Love­ly Li­ly of the Field
    • Thou Pretty Li­ly of the Field
  9. Ein liebl­ich Loos ist uns ge­fall­en
    • Our Lot Is Fall­en in Plea­sant Plac­es
  10. Ein Pil­ger schickt sich an zur Fahrt
    • Pilgrim for His New Abode, A
    • Pilgrim Stands on Jor­dan’s Bank, A
  11. Erhalt’ in mir den Le­gens­trieb, des Sehn­en
    • Excite in Me, Lord, an Ar­dent Thirst
    • Maintain in Me the Sap of Life, the Yearn­ing
    • Uphold in Me a Liv­ing Wish and Long­ing
  12. Es giebt ein Lied der Lied­er
    • Blessed Song of Songs There Is, A
    • One Song of Songs—The Sweet­est
    • Song of Songs There Is, A
    • There Is a Song Now Sing­ing
    • There Is a Song So Thrill­ing
  13. Es wird mein Herz mit Freud­en wach
    • Awake! All Hearts and Joy­ful Say
    • Awake, My Heart, This Day of Rest
    • My Heart Awakes with a Joy­ful Lay
    • My Heart Awakes with Ho­ly Glee
    • My Heart Is Bright with Joy
  14. Freut euch der schön­en Er­de
    • In the Beau­te­ous Earth Re­joice Ye
    • Joy Ye o’er This Earth So Love­ly
    • O Re­joice in Na­ture’s Beau­ties
    • Rejoice in Earth’s Fair Beau­ty
    • Rejoice in the Beau­ti­ful Earth
  15. Gehe hin in Gott­es Nam­en
    • Cheerfully to Work Pro­ceed
    • In the Name of God Ad­vanc­ing
    • In the Name of God Go For­ward
  16. Gottes Stadt steht fest­ge­grün­det
    • By the Ho­ly Hills Sur­round­ed
  17. Hochgesegnet seid Ihr Bo­ten
    • Blest Are Ye, Ye Chos­en Bear­ers
    • Ye Mes­seng­ers of Christ
  18. Ich glaube, da­rum re­de ich
    • I Be­lieve, and So Have Spok­en
  19. Ich höre deine Stim­me
    • I Hear My Shep­herd Call­ing
    • I Know Thy Voice, My Shep­herd
    • Jesu, My Lord, My Shep­herd
    • Shepherd of Souls, Thy Voice I Hear
  20. Ich nehme, was du mir be­stimmst
    • Give What Thou Wilt, Oh Lord!
    • Thy Will I Cheer­ful­ly Obey
    • What Thou Ap­point­est I Re­ceive
  21. Ich steh’ in mein­es Herr­en Hand
    • I Place My­self in Je­sus’ Hands
  22. Ich und mein Haus, wir sind be­reit
    • I and My House Are Rea­dy, Lord
  23. Im Ost­en flammt em­por der gold’ne Mor­gen
    • Golden Morn Flames Up the East­ern Sky, The
    • Golden Morn Is in the East Aris­en, The
    • Lo! In the East the Gold­en Morn Ap­pear­ing
    • On the Far East Now Flames the Gold­en Morn­ing
    • Out from the East, the Gold­en Morn Is Rid­ing
    • Purple Morn­ing Gilds the East­ern Skies, The
    • See from the East the Gold­en Morn
  24. In der Angst der Welt will ich nicht kla­gen
    • Amid the World’s Vex­a­tions
    • In This Earth-Life’s Bit­ter Ang­uish
    • Uncomplaining, Though with Care Grown Hoa­ry
  25. Kehre wied­er, kehre wied­er
    • Return Again! Re­turn Again
    • Return, Re­turn! Poor Long-Lost Wan­der­er
    • Return, Re­turn, Thou Lost One
    • Turn, O Turn, No More De­lay­ing
    • Turn, Poor Wan­der­er, ere the Sen­tence
  26. Meine Stund’ ist noch nicht kom­men
    • Jesus’ Hour Is Not Yet Come
    • My Times, O Lord, Are in Thy Hand
    • ’Tis Not Yet the Time Ap­point­ed
  27. Nimm hin, was dein ist, Gott, nimms hin
    • I Give Thee Back Thine Own Again
  28. O du, den meine Seele liebt
    • O Thou, My Lov­ing Thoughts Em­ploy
    • O Thou, Who Hold­est in My Heart
  29. O du, der uns be­geg­net
    • O Thou Whose Grace First Found Us
  30. O Herbst, du Ab­en­stun­de
    • O Au­tumn, Fair Pens­ive Ev­en­ing
  31. O hoch­be­glück­te Seele
  32. O Je­su, meine Sonne
    • Jesus, My Sun! Be­fore Whose Beams
    • Jesus, My Sun! Be­fore Whose Eye
    • O Bless­ed Sun, Whose Splen­dor
    • I Know No Life Di­vid­ed
    • O Je­sus, at Thy Shin­ing
    • Jesus Christ, My Sun­shine
  33. Oh komm, du Geist der Wahr­heit
    • Draw, Ho­ly Spi­rit, Near­er
    • O Come, Eter­nal Spi­rit
  34. O se­lig Haus
  35. O Va­ter­hand, die mich so treu ge­führ­et
    • Father Whose Hand Hath Led Me So Se­cure­ly
    • O Fa­ther-Eye, That Hath So Tru­ly Watched
  36. O, wel­che from­me, schöne Sit­te
    • It Is a Prac­tice Great­ly Blest
  37. O, wie freun wir uns der Stun­de
    • How Great the Joy, How Blest the Hour
    • Oh! How Blest the Hour, Lord Je­sus
  38. O wie man­che schöne Stun­de
    • O How Ma­ny an Hour of Glad­ness
    • O How Ma­ny Hours of Beau­ty
    • O How Ma­ny Hours of Glad­ness
  39. Sehet, se­het, wel­che Liebe
    • Behold the Fa­ther’s Love
    • Behold What Love the Fa­ther Hath
    • See, O See, What Love the Fa­ther
    • See! What Won­drous Love, How Match­less
  40. O se­lig Haus, wo man dich auf­ge­nom­men
  41. Still an dein­em lieb­e­voll­en Herz­en
    • My Je­sus, on Thy Heart of Pe­rfect Love
    • On Thy Breast, So Full of Love and Mer­cy
    • Safe on Thy Pa­ter­nal Breast
    • Still on Thy Lov­ing Heart Let Me Re­pose
    • With Calm Re­pose, Oh Let Me Lie
  42. Stimm an das Lied vom Ster­ben
    • I Sing of Death and Dy­ing
    • Sing Now the Song of Dy­ing
  43. Unser Wan­del ist in Him­mel!
    • As a Trav­el­er Re­turn­ing
    • Can We Have our Hearts in Hea­ven
    • Jesus, Like the Mag­net, Rais­es
    • We Are Ci­tiz­ens of Hea­ven
  44. Vom Öl­berg’ wogt es nie­der
    • From Ol­iv­et the Sing­ing Crowd
    • Hark! for Loud Notes of Joy
    • Where Yon­der Mount, with Oli­ves Clad
  45. Wandle leucht­end­er und schön­er
    • Say, My Soul, What Prep­a­ra­tion
    • Sun, Shine Forth in All Thy Splen­dor
    • With Bright­er Glo­ry, East­er Sun
  46. Was macht ihr, das Ihr wein­et?
    • How Mean Ye Thus by Weep­ing?
    • What Mean Ye by This Wail­ing?
    • What Mean Ye, Dear­ly Loved Ones?
    • What Mean Ye, That Ye Weep?
    • What Mean Ye Thus Those Tears to Weep?
    • What Means This Bit­ter Weeping?
    • Why Is It That You’re Weep­ing?
  47. Weint nicht üb­er Je­su Schmerz­en
    • For Jesu’s Ag­o­ny and Death
    • Weep Not ov­er Je­su’s Sor­row
    • Wherefore Weep We ov­er Je­sus?
  48. Wie wird uns sein, wenn end­lich nach dem schwer­en
    • How Shall It Be with Us, When We, Frail Mor­tals
    • How Will It Be? When Past the Con­flict Hea­vy
    • O What Shall We Be, When, the Con­flict O’er
    • O What Will Be the Day, When Won at Last
    • What Shall We Be, and Whi­ther Shall We Go?
  49. Winter ist es. In dem weit­en Reiche
    • It Is Winter, All Seems Dead or Dy­ing
    • It Is Winter. The Wide Ream of Na­ture
    • It Is Winter, and the Wide Do­main
    • Winter Is Here, and None May Dare In­trude
    • Winter Is Here. In Na­ture’s Wide Do­main
    • Winter It Is! O’er the Migh­ty King­dom
  50. Wir sind des Herrn, wir le­ben, od­er ster­ben
  51. Wo ist gött­lich­es Er­barm­en
    • Oh Where Doth Mer­cy Dwell?
    • Where Is Di­vine Com­pas­sion?
    • Where Is Mer­cy and Com­pas­sion?
  52. Wohl uns, der Va­ter hat uns lieb
    • How Blest Are We! That God of Us
  53. Wort des Le­bens, lautre Quel­le
    • Thou Word of Life, Un­sul­lied Spring!
    • Word of Life, Et­ern­al Foun­tain
    • Word of Life, Thou Foun­tain Bright
    • Word of Life! Un­sul­lied Foun­tain